Customer Reviews

Invisible Airline

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wasn't sure what to make of Q-Burns Abstract Message for awhile. I always assumed that his music was inaccessible and more experimental like drum & bass but when I heard "This Time" on this month's current CMJ compilation cd, I automatically knew I had to check out "Invisible Airline". I was mesmorized by Lisa Shaw's stunning vocals and the infectious, sugar-coated melodies of "This Time". Now that I have listened to "Invisible Airline" a couple of times I must say that I was absolutely wrong with my presumptions about Michael Donaldson's music. I would say that his music is a blend of house, hip hop and break beat. I love this cd, especially the songs that Lisa Shaw sings on like "Drifting Off", "This Time" and "Shame". I knew from the moment I heard "This Time" this album would be awesome. It is rare for me to know from one song if an album is going to be great or not and "Invisible Airline" is one of those rare albums with that one song that just suckered me into buying.

the main reason i dipped into the new q-burns is it has lisa shaw on it,who is one of my favorite house vocalists.i didn't know what to expect really,but i do have to respect that q-burns is truly an innovator.he has so much respect throughout the electronic music scene,as a composer,dj,and collaborator that i knew that if anything,it would be interesting.i'm strictly a deep house cat but this album shows me once again that there are other beautiful genres out there. my fave tracks are the ones with lisa shaw singing,as well as co-writing,but there are some other interesting guests including percussionist eugene snowden,blues man elmo williams and rapper swamburger.the beats on the album are thumpy,maybe a little too electronic for me,but tasty nonetheless,see track one! filled with strange atmosherics,bleeps and gongs the back side of most tracks keeps you guessing.i get warmer to it every time i listen. knowing that cats like q-burns and lisa shaw are doing quality work,and not in just one field just reminds me that the electronic music scene can be just as creative and vibrant as any other type of music. word em up.

For his second album, INVISIBLE AIRLINE, Q-Burns Abstract Message relies more heavily on his guest vocalist -- in this case, the inimitable Lisa Shaw. "Hey! Star City" sees him going even more psychedelic than before, which carries into "Shame," though Shaw grounds it with her earthy vocals. Better yet, when she's given her space on "Differently," that track catapults right into your heart. Same goes with the sparkling house of "Innocent." On a different tack, the Delta blues of "Mother's Dead" has a gritty charm which is unique in the Q-Burns oeuvre, as is the rock stylings on "Drifting Off." But the presence of these strong vocals also means that the instrumental tracks sort of disappear (as does the middling rap of "Imprisoned Glitch"). But when you have the pure funk of "You Are My Battlestar," or the dub stylings of "This Time" that should be enough. "Dreamland" ends the album on an appropriately dreamy note. Is Q-Burns going in a more pop direction? Sure, and it works.

This album is tremendous, especially the vocalist whose transcendental voice blesses the other-worldly tracks "Differently" and "Innocent". But I found this album to be quite different stylistically from his previous ones. It's almost like it's not even Q burn. It's like his Doppelganger from Twin Earth. Most people hate that--when an artist changes his style quite a bit from previous releases--but I find it to be a pleasant surprise in this case because the album is excellent in every track. I listened to it daily on my scooter in Taiwan going to hell. It saved me.

I'm so happy with this disc. I tried to write a review but really just can't find words to do it justice. I think this recording will be part of my "don't leave home with out it" pack for a long time.

The second studio album from Florida's Michael Donaldson finds his Q-Burns alias looking more like a band. The majority of these tracks feature Lisa Shaw doing a nice job on vocals, with other vocal appearances by Elmo Williams (doing the alt.blues thing on "Mother's Dead") and Swamburger kicking the rhymes on "Imprisoned Glitch". Stylistically this disc is all over the place, bouncing from house to pop to blues to rap to folk to tr*p-h*p. There are plenty of uptempo dance beats, but also plenty of guitars and front-and-center melodies.

The second studio album from Florida's Michael Donaldson finds his Q-Burns alias looking more like a band.

The majority of these tracks feature Lisa Shaw doing a nice job on vocals, with other vocal appearances by Elmo Williams (doing the alt.blues thing on "Mother's Dead") and Swamburger kicking the rhymes on "Imprisoned Glitch".

Stylistically this disc is all over the place, bouncing from house to pop to blues to rap to folk to ...There are plenty of uptempo dance beats, but also plenty of guitars and front-and-center melodies.